Bears Rally From Five Down In Game Two To Earn Sweep Over Princeton

Providence, RI -
In its 2006 home-opener, the Brown baseball team earned a two-game sweep over Ivy League rival Princeton on Sunday, improving the Bears to 5-13 overall and 5-1 in Ivy play. Brown rallied back from five down in the second game to earn a 8-7 extra innings victory after taking a 7-1 win in game one. Freshman Matt Nuzzo scored the game-winning run in the tenth inning off a wild pitch after reaching on a lead-off single.

Brown got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first off an RBI single by senior Danny Hughes. Junior Bryan Tews, who started on the mound, gave the Bears a 2-0 lead with a double down the rightfield line, scoring freshman Steve Daniels in the third. Hughes continued his key hitting, driving in another run in the third with a rip to right center.

The Bears took a big 7-0 lead with four runs in the fourth as senior Paul Christian hit a three-run homer, moving him into second place on Brown's all-time homeruns list with 28. Daniels drove in the innings other run.

After cruising through the first four innings, Tews allowed his first run of the game in the fifth but prevented the Tigers from doing anymore damage, striking out Sal Iacono with the bases loaded.

Christian finished game one 2-2 with three RBI and two runs scored while Daniels also went 2-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Hughes also posted two hits, going 2-3 with two RBI. Sophomore Jeff Dietz and Nuzzo both went 1-3 as well.

Tews pitched all seven innings, improving his record to 2-2 on the year. He allowed seven hits and just one run, striking out five and walking four.

In game two, the Tigers got two runs in the top of the second off three hits but Brown evened up the score with a pair of runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning.

Junior Devin Thomas hit one hard past Princeton's first baseman to lead off the inning. Nuzzo then singled through the right side and freshman Rob Papenhouse scored Thomas with a groundout to first. Christian then looped one into rightfield, driving home Nuzzo from third.

Brown's defense unraveled in the fourth as the Tigers scored four runs off two errors to take a 6-2 lead. They went on to add a run in the fifth off a sacrifice, putting the Bears down five, 7-2, with five innings left to play. Sophomore Rob Hallberg stepped in for senior Shaun McNamara with no outs and the bases loaded in the inning, however, allowing just the one run off the sacrifice fly, which fell in foul territory and two strikeouts.

Brown cut the lead down to one, 7-6, with a four run sixth. The Bears loaded up the bases, drawing three straight walks to start off the inning. Nuzzo then belted a single to rightfield, easily scoring senior Eric Larson from third. The Tigers then walked sophomore Ryan Murphy, allowing another run to score. Thomas then tagged up from third off a sacrifice fly by Daniels. An error by the Tigers shortstop allowed one more run to score, making it a one run game.

It remained a one run game up through the ninth as the Bears had one final chance to tie things up or take the win and tie things up they did. Tews drilled a single up the middle to start things off and went on to score off a sacrifice fly by Dietz.

In extra innings, Nuzzo sent went up the middle to start a tenth inning rally. Freshman Dan Shapiro then moved Nuzzo over to second with a sacrifice bunt. Nuzzo advanced to third after a groundout to shortstop by Daniels, setting up the winning run.

Nuzzo finished the game 3-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Tews went 2-5, scoring the tying run while Christian, Larson and Thomas each added one hit.

Dietz earned the win on the mound, pitching the final two inning, allowing just one hit. McNamara went four full innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs.

Brown will be back in action tomorrow as it takes on Cornell in a doubleheader set to start at noon.